Don't do that, Butterfly!
by onion sprout
Summary: Ichigo finds she's no good at fancy parties. Or being smooth with pretty ladies that happen to attend them. [ Swallowtail & Naughty Detectives AU, where the girls are actually their roles in the dramas. IchigoxAoi. ]


**( **_Ichigo/Aoi | AU fic of the Swallowtail/Naughty Detective crossover in ep21. Thanks to Sr. E for prereading. _**)_  
_**

Ichigo worried at her lip with her front teeth. Try as she might, the normally quite adept and peppy master thief just couldn't adapt to this formal environment. The dresses, the polite soft music, the high class attitude... She couldn't get used to it. It just didn't suit her.

Of course, it didn't suit her partner in crime either, and that wasn't stopping Otome from bobbing around the dance floor with some mysterious woman with an almost embarrassingly wide grin. But that was Otome, and Ichigo was, well... Ichigo – and her usually dauntless attitude was being challenged by this atmosphere, for whatever reason.

_Shape up, Ichigo! You're one of the Swallowtails – the most important people for idols this century. _She clenched her fists without thinking. _I have to keep it together._ Even if any single person here could buy her entire personage with their pocket change, that didn't change that Mizuki's cards were on the line. She couldn't let such a popular, lovely, incredible, _inspiring _idol such as her to have to cancel a show just because her "help staff" was no good! Ichigo nodded seriously to no one in particular, lost in her own mind. _No, I have to help. It hurts too much to see her cry like she did earlier – I have to bring that precious smile back to Mizuki-san's face!_

"You look rather deep in thought, miss." Ichigo spun around. A regal-looking woman with long, curly blue hair - much like the ones that were making her uncomfortable to begin with – stood there, a smirk on her lips. Her heart jumped into her throat. "Are you feeling quite well?"

"Y-yeah!" She caught herself after the word already came out, her untrained voice squeaky and not regal in the slightest. She coughed. "- Yes, I mean. I'm feeling mostly well. Maybe just – a bit thirsty." The drills in formal language she was given, as well as everything she'd ever seen on TV, slipped through her fingers like the greased pig she had for that one variety show.

The woman giggled softly, her voice like clinking crystal. Ichigo felt her confidence shrink. There was no way she could pretend to be anywhere near as sophisticated at this stranger.

"Well, I'm sure you know where the refreshments are."

The undercover thief swallowed and smiled sheepishly. "A-ah, of course! I'll serve myself a drink -"

She stepped forward a little too fast in her unfamiliar heels, and quickly lost her balance. Before she actually hit the floor, however, she found herself in warm arms. Hands held her by the shoulder and the waist, in a dancing position. For a ball meant for refined, silky financial nobility, the hands felt surprisingly rough on the bare skin of the thief's shoulder.

The noble smiled, chipper and smooth. "Actually, it looks to me more as if you've had _too much_ to drink."

A heat came to Ichigo's cheeks. First, for the embarrassment of nearly falling flat on her face in the middle of a fancy party. Then, of something else entirely when she realized how close they were, faces only inches apart. Ichigo looked up into the noblewoman's icy eyes, face burning.

"Uh, I-"

She could smell her perfume. It smelt like the sea breeze, vaguely, in the way perfumes do. There was a brooch on her chest, that of a star.

"I guess so." Ichigo murmured.

It was at that hushed remark that the other girl seemed to notice their proximity as well, and her cheeks flushed a little as well as. With a graceful flourish, she hurriedly straightened Ichigo back to standing on her own. "If you're a tipsy, Miss, fresh air might do you well. There's a clear balcony over this way, if you like -"

She indicated in some direction vaguely, not making eye contact.

Ichigo smiled nervously, room spinning. "Great, that sounds-"

The woman took her hand, walking with her. "Yes, that direction."

"Yes."

Otome swirled by as they passed, arms now wrapped around a man that Ichigo recognized as one of their back-up agents. She grinned conspiratorially at her partner as she danced, winking and making a signal with the hand behind the gentleman's back. Ichigo, cheeks flushed, merely nodded in return, and kept speed with the woman in front of her, close enough for their wide skirts to brush against each other.

The night on the small balcony was somewhat cool, with a breeze that tousled their hair as they stepped out and, then, feeling satisfied with it's handwork, died down to a mere murmur. Ichigo walked to the railing and took a deep breath of the air. Their hands were linked. She looked at the beautiful face of the noble she had met. Her heart fluttered a little, but quickly regained her composure. Not now.

"May I ask what is your name, miss? I realize I have failed to ask, and I'd love to know the name of the sweet lady who's helped me such." Ichigo asked sweetly. Her formality crash course seemed to be kicking in now. The blush on the other's cheeks must have been given her more confidence for spouting silly-sounding stilted babble.

"Kiriya Aoi." She answered – a little too fast? Maybe. Ichigo was never good at the subtle cues like that, and the other girl already did seem embarrassed. "I'm – no one too important here. Simply a donor, come to enjoy the night."

The name sounded familiar. She nodded. "Nice to meet you, Kiriya-san." She nodded in a quick bow. "I'm quite the same. Just a donor looking for a party." She grinned. "I'm Hoshimiya Ichigo."

Time briefly stopped. Wait, that was wrong. She was not Hoshimiya Ichigo right now. She couldn't be. That was her real name. Did she just tell Kiriya here her real name?! This – this was way too embarrassing, this could _ruin_ her -

Aoi dropped her hand from Ichigo's suddenly, turning away abashedly. "A-apologies, Hoshimiya-san. I didn't mean to hold onto your hand so long. It's nice to meet you."

There was no time to let Aoi suspect anything else, so Ichigo picked up the thread as quickly as possible, by grabbing both of her hands and holding them up to chest level with a sweet look, half-pleading.

"No - it's fine." She said, squeezing them. Aoi jumped a little in surprise, eyes wide and soft cheeks flushed a rose color. "I like holding your hand. I don't tend to say this to women, Miss Kiriya, but you're so beautiful tonight. Your dress is exquisite and so is your -" Ichigo sputtered suddenly, unsure how to continue this. How did you hit on someone again? "- face. You're amazing, Kiriya-san."

Aoi opened her mouth slightly as if to respond, but her face was that of confusion – happy confusion, but still very perplexed. It was now or never. Ichigo lunged into a kiss with the other woman, wrapping her arms around her. It was a sweet, simple kiss, gentle and soft, but when Aoi reacted it was with a sigh and pulling Ichigo closer, reciprocating very fervently. The innocent kiss quickly started turning more romantic and frantic, hands roaming until -

"READY!" Ichigo popped back, leaping out of Aoi's arms effortlessly. The blue-haired woman, still leaned back on the railing, opened her eyes in shock, only to see the girl she was just entangled with waving something in the air as others from the party came out – _the cards_, she was holding the cards! How – oh, they had been exploring – she had been supposed to keep them from –

Swallowtail?

Ichigo grinned. "Got 'em, Lady!" Otome, masked and minus the bottom of her dress, nodded with a grin and made a signal to the sky, which prompted a rope to drop d

own to their area. Others, running out to stop the escaping thieves, began to bark orders at party-goers to "get more security," "call in reinforcements." The girls grabbed onto the rope and began to ascend.

"Guided by the scent of adventure, we are the fluttering butterflies, Stylish Thieves Swallowtails!" Otome said, cheerily repeating the mantra from her perch.

"We'll do anything we can to deliver love to everyone!" Ichigo added on, putting her mask on as she spoke. "As such, these cards will be returned to "

A black-haired girl in practical clothes, emerging from the crowd, screamed up at them. "Get back here! In the name of the Crescent Moon Atelier, you two are under arrest!" The theives just laughed as they dangled far out of reach, so Seira looked around for someone else to yell at. "Someone, stop them! -Kiriya-kun, why are you just sitting there!?"

The profiler – and failure of an undercover agent - stared up at the retreating form of the girl she had just kissed, paying no mind to her irritated coworker.

_Well, that sure wasn't in the profile I came up with._

Ichigo smiled to herself as they entered the helicopter, safe and sound and heading up and away from capture and – eventually – to Mizuki's home.

"You looked like you were having fun, huh Ichigo-tan?" Otome said, smirking at her partner.

Ichigo laughed nervously. "O-of course, I mean, I got the cards -"

"I mean the smooching. The makeouts. Was she good? She was super cute! Love-You quality! Shame that she's a cop..." She said, ignoring Ichigo's raging blush. "Forbidden love, eh? I wish you two luck!"

"It's not happening, Otome-chan!"

_Two days later..._

Mizuki's concert was exactly as amazing as Ichigo had thought it would be. With the recaptured Aikatsu cards, she was able to pull of 4 special appeals – an amazing feat that made the crowd scream until Ichigo swore that her eardrums would go out.

It was worth it. It was always worth it, to see the happy faces of the idols and their fans – but with Mizuki, it was even more so, just to see the idol queen herself smiling so brilliantly.

Okay, and the backstage passes were nice too.

As Mizuki cooled down, so did the two now-casually dressed thieves, enjoying the elbow room after standing in the packed audience for hours. Ichigo was leaned against a brick wall, half-listening to Otome chat about Mizuki's beautiful coords or marvelous appeals, when a man tapped her on the shoulder.

"Hoshimiya Ichigo, right?" The man said. He looked like a staff member.

"Yeah," she replied. The tickets were under their real names – did he have something to tell her about the passes?

The man gave her an note, sealed with a blue sticker in the shape of a star. "A lady told me to give this to you." With that vague response, he dodged Ichigo's confused look and rushed off.

"Love letter?" Otome chirped up.

Ichigo giggled as she unfolded the note. "Yeah, right! It's probably just -"

_Dear Hoshimiya Ichigo,_

_That was your real name?_

_You're one ditzy thief._

_If you don't want anyone to know_

_who you really are, then meet me_

_at 2pm this Saturday at the West Station_

_Cafe. Bring some flowers._

_(We should get to know each other_

_better before we kiss this time, I think.)_

_~ Kiriya Aoi_

"Probably just _what_, Ichigo-tan? What is it?"

"It's just-" Ichigo wasn't sure whether to jump for joy or sob in total embarrassment. She went for a little bit of both, eyes tearing a little awkwardly as she smiled, cheeks burning. "Nothing! Nothing at all!"

"Are you- you're crying! What does it say? SHOW ME!"

"No waaaaay!"

"You two, quiet it down!"


End file.
